Fleur de Lolly: Heat things up in the kitchen with Kung Pao Chicken

Monday

January is Spicy Foods Month. Perhaps it received that distinction because of the cold weather, and whoever selects these holidays decided to heat things up a little, at least in the kitchen!

Here’s one of my favorite spicy food recipes. Kung Pao Chicken is a popular choice on Chinese menus. This version is spicy, mouth numbing and no-holds-barred with flavor, which is exactly how Kung Pao Chicken is meant to be.

Take a trip to the local international market for your ingredients. It’s always fun to meander through the market and check out all the exotic things stacked on the shelves.

If you’re afraid of heat, use the seasonings sparingly. The flavors here will surely get your taste buds glowing.

Grind half of Sichuan peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Combine with scallion greens and reserve. Combine scallion whites, garlic and ginger in small bowl. Combine the remaining soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, black vinegar, chili-bean paste and sugar in small bowl and mix until cornstarch is fully dissolved.Place a fine-meshed strainer over a small, heat-proof bowl. Heat the peanut oil in the wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the remaining Sichuan peppercorns and dried chiles and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Drain in a strainer. Pick out chiles and reserve. Discard the peppercorns.

Return wok to high heat until smoking. Add 1/4 of oil, half of the marinated chicken and spread in even layer with a spatula. Cook without stirring for one minute. Then cook, stirring, until chicken is halfway cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a medium metal bowl. Wipe out wok with a paper towel, add another 1/4 of oil and repeat with remaining chicken.

Wipe out wok with a paper towel, add another 1/4 of the oil and cook leeks until charred in spots, but still slightly crisp, about 1 minute.Add the remaining oil to wok along with the garlic/ginger mixture and cook, stirring the mixture constantly until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add the peanuts, reserved chiles and chicken. Toss entire contents of wok together and add sauce. Cook, stirring, and continue to toss chicken until it is coated in a glossy layer of the spicy sauce.

Stir in the scallion greens and ground Sichuan pepper. Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately with steamed white rice.Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes, table decor ideas and advice for fellow foodies and novices on her blog, fleurdelolly.blogspot.com for more than eight years. You can contact her at facebook.com/fleurde.lolly.5, on Instagram, and fleurdelolly@yahoo.com.

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